Lonnie Pacelli's Blog, page 68
September 4, 2015
Lesson 3-Team Doesn't Understand Problem. Build What?
When the team doesn’t understand the problem the likelihood of a satisfactory solution is left to chance.Take the time to ensure the team understands the problem the way the sponsor understands the problem.
See all 100 Project Management lessons at 6wordlessons.com. Amazon.com Widgets
September 1, 2015
Lesson 2 - Autistic Disorder - the most typical ASD
Six-Word Lessons for Dads with Autistic Kids on Amazon, iTunes, Nook and othersAutistic Disorder is what comes to mind when most envision someone with autism. Significant language delays, unusual interests, and social and communication challenges are common. Many also have intellectual disability.See all 100 lessons at GrowingUpAutistic.com
Lesson 1 - Can't write down problem, kill project.
Six-Word Lessons for Project Managers on Amazon, iTunes, Nook and othersIf the Project Sponsor cannot clearly articulate the problem, don't bother proceeding.Get the sponsor or designee to physically write down the problem statement for all to understand.
See all 100 Project Management lessons at 6WordLessons.com Amazon.com Widgets
Lesson 3 - Asperger Syndrome - milder Autism Spectrum Disorder
Six-Word Lessons for Dads with Autistic Kids on Amazon, iTunes, Nook and OthersPeople with Asperger Syndrome typically have social challenges and unusual, obsessive behaviors and interests. However, they usually do not have intellectual disability or language delay issues.See all 100 lessons at GrowingUpAutistic.com Amazon.com Widgets
August 20, 2015
Asking For Help
As a child and young adult I was very independent. Regardless of the situation, if I was doing something I was determined to do it myself and not ask for anyone's help. In my eyes asking for someone's help was akin to admitting defeat or somehow showing others that I was weak or incompetent. My attitude was "If someone else can do it, I can do it". How Naive.Now I am a Father of two beautiful children. My daughter is wiser at 19 than I was at that age. If she is having difficulty with something she promptly asks for help and willingly accepts it. She's a lot like her mother in that regard. My son at 17 is a lot more like me; in his mind asking for help is a form of "giving in" and somehow shows him as weak. We had an incident this weekend which underscored his being a chip-off-the-old-block. He was in a drama performance at his high school on Friday night.
Amazon.com WidgetsAfter the performance many of the kids decided to go out for an after-performance snack. My son decided to go but got lost looking for the restaurant. He drove around for over an hour trying to find the place but didn't find it. He ended up coming home disappointed that he missed out on the social time.
The next morning, my wife and I talked to him about what happened. I asked him several times, "Why didn't you call us for help?" To him, that would have been a sign of weakness as he decided to forge ahead on his own without soliciting our assistance. We stressed to him the importance of asking for help, that asking for help is not a foolish thing; not asking for help when you really need it is foolish. As Cat Stevens sings in Cats in the Cradle "My boy's just like me; he's grown up just like me".
As PM's, there is plenty of times where the problems we face warrant us asking for help. Too often the cry for help either comes too late or not at all because the PM wants to try to work his way out of the jam without admitting he is over his head. Then there are times when the PM throws up the flare at the slightest hint of a problem and doesn't even try to solve a problem herself. She immediately dumps the problem at her boss' footstep expecting the boss to solve her problem for her. Either way the ask for help was inappropriately used by the PM.
My one nugget to you is this: when you get into a sticky situation on a project, don't be afraid to ask for help from others that have similar or more experience than you. Do a quick assessment of the problem, decide if you've got the experience to solve the problem on your own, then either move forward with solving the problem, ask for advice from a colleague on how they would handle the problem, or ask for help because the problem is bigger than you are. Going it alone just means that there may be a bigger mess to clean up later because the mole-hill you tried to fix yourself has grown into a mountain.
July 3, 2015
Babbling is for Babies, Not Interviews
Excerpted from The Truth about Getting Your Point Across…and Nothing But the Truth
Some years back I was interviewing candidates for a financial analyst position.
One of my interviews was with a gentleman who was already a company employee but was looking for a new job within the company. I started out the interview with the question, “What interests you about this job?” The fellow started into a response, and then launched into tangents about his family, prior jobs, and personal interests. About five minutes into the interview I’d already made my decision to not hire the guy, but I was intrigued by his verbal meandering.
I decided to let him keep going just to see where he would go. He finally stopped talking 30 minutes after I asked him my original question. My next question to him was “Do you realize you talked non-stop for 30 minutes?” Before he could launch into another wandering discourse, I thanked him for stopping by and told him that I didn’t think he was right for the job. He very well might have had the technical and business skills needed to do the job, but because he babbled on and on without clarity of thought he was declined.
The demonstration of clear, concise thoughts through responses to interview questions is a major factor for your interviewer in deciding whether or not to hire you. When responding to questions, your interviewer is not only listening to your answers but also imagining you talking with colleagues, suppliers, customers, or executives. If you, as an interviewee, aren’t able to respond with crisp, concise, thoughtful answers during an interview, imagine how you would come off in a major customer presentation? You may have some insightful things to say, but if they get lost in long, meandering responses then you’re going to seal your fate as a declined candidate.
Amazon.com WidgetsNext time you interview for a job, keep the following things in mind:
Target your responses around a key message – When asked a question, formulate your response around a key message or a series of key messages. State your key message first, and then provide a couple of sentences which support the key message. Know what your key message is before you start talking, otherwise your response will meander.
Watch the interviewer for frustration – Look for cues that the interviewer is impatient, confused, or bored. The best interviews I’ve done have been where an interviewee captured my interest by a stating a key message and we were just able to talk. Look to capture an interviewer’s interest; if he or she doesn’t look interested, wrap up your point and stop talking.
Keep eye contact with the interviewer – Keeping eye contact with the interviewer will help you to stick to your key message because you won’t get distracted. Keeping eye contact also demonstrates conviction and confidence. Wandering eyes feel evasive and can contribute to babbling.
Take a breath before you respond – Let the interviewer finish his question before you start responding. Take a second after the question, get your key message in your head, then start your answer. Being too eager to answer the question will contribute to drifting from your key message and will brand you as being rude.
Don’t argue with yourself – Don’t play point/counter-point with yourself. When asked a question, formulate your key message and take a stand in your response. It’s OK to briefly identify the other side of an argument, but make sure you state a key message and don’t give the perception that you are indecisive.
Provide context to your answers – Don’t just give “yes” or “no” – type answers without providing a bit of context behind the response. The interviewer not only wants to know what your answer is, but something about why you think the way you do. Be cautious about drifting on and on with your answer; make a couple of statements that support your key message then clam up.
Ask your interviewer for feedback – At the end of the interview, consider asking the interviewer to provide some feedback to you on how they think the interview went. Specifically ask about the quality and conciseness of your responses. Just be careful not to get into an argument about the interviewer’s feedback; listen politely and thank them for the feedback. Don’t create a negative impression with the interviewer because you argued or got defensive over any feedback you received.
It’s easy when nervous or excited to babble on and on and lose focus in your responses to questions. Formulate key messages, keep eye contact, watch your interviewer, and take a stand with your responses. You’ll better engage your interviewer, captivate interest, and help to secure the job you want.
Some years back I was interviewing candidates for a financial analyst position. One of my interviews was with a gentleman who was already a company employee but was looking for a new job within the company. I started out the interview with the question, “What interests you about this job?” The fellow started into a response, and then launched into tangents about his family, prior jobs, and personal interests. About five minutes into the interview I’d already made my decision to not hire the guy, but I was intrigued by his verbal meandering.
I decided to let him keep going just to see where he would go. He finally stopped talking 30 minutes after I asked him my original question. My next question to him was “Do you realize you talked non-stop for 30 minutes?” Before he could launch into another wandering discourse, I thanked him for stopping by and told him that I didn’t think he was right for the job. He very well might have had the technical and business skills needed to do the job, but because he babbled on and on without clarity of thought he was declined.
The demonstration of clear, concise thoughts through responses to interview questions is a major factor for your interviewer in deciding whether or not to hire you. When responding to questions, your interviewer is not only listening to your answers but also imagining you talking with colleagues, suppliers, customers, or executives. If you, as an interviewee, aren’t able to respond with crisp, concise, thoughtful answers during an interview, imagine how you would come off in a major customer presentation? You may have some insightful things to say, but if they get lost in long, meandering responses then you’re going to seal your fate as a declined candidate.
Amazon.com WidgetsNext time you interview for a job, keep the following things in mind:
Target your responses around a key message – When asked a question, formulate your response around a key message or a series of key messages. State your key message first, and then provide a couple of sentences which support the key message. Know what your key message is before you start talking, otherwise your response will meander.
Watch the interviewer for frustration – Look for cues that the interviewer is impatient, confused, or bored. The best interviews I’ve done have been where an interviewee captured my interest by a stating a key message and we were just able to talk. Look to capture an interviewer’s interest; if he or she doesn’t look interested, wrap up your point and stop talking.
Keep eye contact with the interviewer – Keeping eye contact with the interviewer will help you to stick to your key message because you won’t get distracted. Keeping eye contact also demonstrates conviction and confidence. Wandering eyes feel evasive and can contribute to babbling.
Take a breath before you respond – Let the interviewer finish his question before you start responding. Take a second after the question, get your key message in your head, then start your answer. Being too eager to answer the question will contribute to drifting from your key message and will brand you as being rude.
Don’t argue with yourself – Don’t play point/counter-point with yourself. When asked a question, formulate your key message and take a stand in your response. It’s OK to briefly identify the other side of an argument, but make sure you state a key message and don’t give the perception that you are indecisive.
Provide context to your answers – Don’t just give “yes” or “no” – type answers without providing a bit of context behind the response. The interviewer not only wants to know what your answer is, but something about why you think the way you do. Be cautious about drifting on and on with your answer; make a couple of statements that support your key message then clam up.
Ask your interviewer for feedback – At the end of the interview, consider asking the interviewer to provide some feedback to you on how they think the interview went. Specifically ask about the quality and conciseness of your responses. Just be careful not to get into an argument about the interviewer’s feedback; listen politely and thank them for the feedback. Don’t create a negative impression with the interviewer because you argued or got defensive over any feedback you received.
It’s easy when nervous or excited to babble on and on and lose focus in your responses to questions. Formulate key messages, keep eye contact, watch your interviewer, and take a stand with your responses. You’ll better engage your interviewer, captivate interest, and help to secure the job you want.
Lie About Your Credentials, Kill Your Career
Excerpted from The Truth about Getting Your Point Across…and Nothing But the Truth
Notre Dame football coach George O’Leary resigned five days after being hired, admitting he lied about his academic and athletic background. O'Leary claimed to have a master's degree in education and to have played college football for three years, but checks into his background showed it wasn't true.
Veritas CFO Kenneth Lonchar was fired because he claimed he had a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford University. Further research showed that he did not hold an MBA from any school. Ironically, Veritas in Latin means “truth”.
Joseph Ellis, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, was suspended for a year from Mount Holyoke College for lying about serving in the Vietnam War.
Each of these examples, while high-profile and extreme, all fell from the same tree; people lying on their resumes to help influence an employer to hire them. Aside from the fact that each of the above cases resulted in job loss or suspension; they also all endured the humiliation of being publicly labeled as a liar. Not the best way to be remembered.
Resumes by nature are meant to inform, impress, and inspire a potential employer and get the employer to want to talk to you. Most employers only spend about twenty seconds looking at each resume they receive, and worse, most employers view the information contained on resumes as a way to weed out applicants . Putting your best foot forward to present a concise, compelling case for why you should be hired is crucial to getting you invited to the party.
Amazon.com WidgetsThroughout my career I’ve interviewed hundreds of candidates for a wide variety of jobs. Many of the candidates that I’ve interviewed were upstanding, honest, and candid and went on to have successful careers at my company. Of those who didn’t get hired, many lost out because of boastful claims made on their resume that they were unable to substantiate during the interview process. As an interviewer, I intentionally focused on claims that were exceptional to truly understand how they did it and to see if the claim was authentic or bogus. Authentic claims went a long way toward recommending a “hire” decision; bogus claims got an automatic “no hire” without further consideration.
Let me put this as plainly as I can. Lies about your credentials can permanently kill your career. Putting bogus, or even mildly aggressive, claims on your resume can hurt you in a couple of ways. The first question that arises pertains to competence. Bogus claims will cause a potential employer to question whether you possess the skills required to perform the job. The second question, which is far more important for me, pertains to integrity. If a candidate is willing to stretch the truth on a single fact on his or her resume, what else is he or she not being truthful about? Having your integrity questioned by the interviewer is pretty much your one-way ticket home.
The lesson learned here is simple; any lie, even the littlest of white lies, has no place on a resume and will come back to bite you. Assume that each and every word on your resume is going to be checked, questioned, and scrutinized during an interview and verification. Be able to substantiate facts, metrics, and credentials with backup information and provide references where necessary.
Having said all this, do your best to sell yourself on your resume and dazzle prospective employers with your accomplishments, credentials, and experience. Wow them during your twenty seconds of fame. Just make sure that what they see is you and not some figment of your imagination.
Notre Dame football coach George O’Leary resigned five days after being hired, admitting he lied about his academic and athletic background. O'Leary claimed to have a master's degree in education and to have played college football for three years, but checks into his background showed it wasn't true. Veritas CFO Kenneth Lonchar was fired because he claimed he had a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford University. Further research showed that he did not hold an MBA from any school. Ironically, Veritas in Latin means “truth”.
Joseph Ellis, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, was suspended for a year from Mount Holyoke College for lying about serving in the Vietnam War.
Each of these examples, while high-profile and extreme, all fell from the same tree; people lying on their resumes to help influence an employer to hire them. Aside from the fact that each of the above cases resulted in job loss or suspension; they also all endured the humiliation of being publicly labeled as a liar. Not the best way to be remembered.
Resumes by nature are meant to inform, impress, and inspire a potential employer and get the employer to want to talk to you. Most employers only spend about twenty seconds looking at each resume they receive, and worse, most employers view the information contained on resumes as a way to weed out applicants . Putting your best foot forward to present a concise, compelling case for why you should be hired is crucial to getting you invited to the party.
Amazon.com WidgetsThroughout my career I’ve interviewed hundreds of candidates for a wide variety of jobs. Many of the candidates that I’ve interviewed were upstanding, honest, and candid and went on to have successful careers at my company. Of those who didn’t get hired, many lost out because of boastful claims made on their resume that they were unable to substantiate during the interview process. As an interviewer, I intentionally focused on claims that were exceptional to truly understand how they did it and to see if the claim was authentic or bogus. Authentic claims went a long way toward recommending a “hire” decision; bogus claims got an automatic “no hire” without further consideration.
Let me put this as plainly as I can. Lies about your credentials can permanently kill your career. Putting bogus, or even mildly aggressive, claims on your resume can hurt you in a couple of ways. The first question that arises pertains to competence. Bogus claims will cause a potential employer to question whether you possess the skills required to perform the job. The second question, which is far more important for me, pertains to integrity. If a candidate is willing to stretch the truth on a single fact on his or her resume, what else is he or she not being truthful about? Having your integrity questioned by the interviewer is pretty much your one-way ticket home.
The lesson learned here is simple; any lie, even the littlest of white lies, has no place on a resume and will come back to bite you. Assume that each and every word on your resume is going to be checked, questioned, and scrutinized during an interview and verification. Be able to substantiate facts, metrics, and credentials with backup information and provide references where necessary.
Having said all this, do your best to sell yourself on your resume and dazzle prospective employers with your accomplishments, credentials, and experience. Wow them during your twenty seconds of fame. Just make sure that what they see is you and not some figment of your imagination.
June 27, 2015
One Less Meeting Gets You Home In Time For Dinner
Excerpted from The Truth about Getting Your Point Across…and Nothing But the Truth
A client of mine absolutely loved to have meetings. Regardless of the topic, if there was some reason for at least two people to have any kind of interaction a meeting got called. Not only were there a lot of meetings but there would almost always be superfluous bodies taking up space in the meeting that had no real reason to be there other than to be “informed.” Now, if decisions got made and things got done I would have had more tolerance for the meeting mania. But more often than not little got done at these meetings other than to schedule more meetings. It was madness, I say!
As a senior manager, I could have spent every working hour of every day in meetings.
Me needing to meet with other managers or my staff. Vendors wanting to meet with me. Meeting with customers. Meeting with other organizations. Meetings to decide what meetings to have or not have. It was meeting after meeting after meeting. I had to actively control my calendar to say no to meetings that didn’t make sense, push back on meetings where I didn’t need to be there or where we could get work done through other means.
As much as I may grouse about meetings, some of them were necessary, beneficial and effective. Then again, there were those that were a total waste of time and could have been accomplished by some other means. The million dollar question then becomes, “How do you keep the beneficial meetings and eliminate the wastes of time?”
In my experience, there are several situations where meetings are generally more appropriate than doing through other means, as follows:
Amazon.com WidgetsGetting buy-in or consensus on a strategy, direction, or decision – Meet if you’ve got something that requires people being 100% bought in to the solution. For people to be truly bought in, they need to have an opportunity to influence direction, express concerns, or provide alternatives.Team building – If you want your team to work better together then they need meeting time to get to know each other, to understand relative strengths and weaknesses, and to want to help each other.Celebrating a success or milestone – Having an e-party just doesn’t work. Let your folks get together for a milkshake and celebrate a successful completion of a project, meeting a critical milestone, or celebrating a holiday. Delivering bad news where people will likely have questions – No one likes to find out bad news by reading a memo. If you’ve got bad news that will affect people directly, get them in a room if logistically possible and deliver the message. It gives people an opportunity to interact as well as it being a more humane and sensitive way of delivering bad news.
What are some effective alternatives to people getting in a room together to meet? Try these on for size:
E-mail – Great for dissemination of information and for some decision making that may not be contentious or controversial. Just watch for when a topic does turn contentious or controversial; you’re best to take the discussion offline and get a meeting together for the relevant parties to discuss.
Web sites – Also great for dissemination of information or for getting input
Audio/video conferencing – Effective when logistics prevent people from physically meeting or when a person only wants to listen in on a meeting
One-on-one discussions – Effective when a decision or direction can be made by just a couple of people and then others can be informed through e-mail or web sites
We need to interact, we need to exchange information, and we need to work together to get things done. Avoid falling into meeting trap and consciously ask yourself if there are other ways to communicate and get your point across.
A client of mine absolutely loved to have meetings. Regardless of the topic, if there was some reason for at least two people to have any kind of interaction a meeting got called. Not only were there a lot of meetings but there would almost always be superfluous bodies taking up space in the meeting that had no real reason to be there other than to be “informed.” Now, if decisions got made and things got done I would have had more tolerance for the meeting mania. But more often than not little got done at these meetings other than to schedule more meetings. It was madness, I say!As a senior manager, I could have spent every working hour of every day in meetings.
Me needing to meet with other managers or my staff. Vendors wanting to meet with me. Meeting with customers. Meeting with other organizations. Meetings to decide what meetings to have or not have. It was meeting after meeting after meeting. I had to actively control my calendar to say no to meetings that didn’t make sense, push back on meetings where I didn’t need to be there or where we could get work done through other means.
As much as I may grouse about meetings, some of them were necessary, beneficial and effective. Then again, there were those that were a total waste of time and could have been accomplished by some other means. The million dollar question then becomes, “How do you keep the beneficial meetings and eliminate the wastes of time?”
In my experience, there are several situations where meetings are generally more appropriate than doing through other means, as follows:
Amazon.com WidgetsGetting buy-in or consensus on a strategy, direction, or decision – Meet if you’ve got something that requires people being 100% bought in to the solution. For people to be truly bought in, they need to have an opportunity to influence direction, express concerns, or provide alternatives.Team building – If you want your team to work better together then they need meeting time to get to know each other, to understand relative strengths and weaknesses, and to want to help each other.Celebrating a success or milestone – Having an e-party just doesn’t work. Let your folks get together for a milkshake and celebrate a successful completion of a project, meeting a critical milestone, or celebrating a holiday. Delivering bad news where people will likely have questions – No one likes to find out bad news by reading a memo. If you’ve got bad news that will affect people directly, get them in a room if logistically possible and deliver the message. It gives people an opportunity to interact as well as it being a more humane and sensitive way of delivering bad news.
What are some effective alternatives to people getting in a room together to meet? Try these on for size:
E-mail – Great for dissemination of information and for some decision making that may not be contentious or controversial. Just watch for when a topic does turn contentious or controversial; you’re best to take the discussion offline and get a meeting together for the relevant parties to discuss.
Web sites – Also great for dissemination of information or for getting input
Audio/video conferencing – Effective when logistics prevent people from physically meeting or when a person only wants to listen in on a meeting
One-on-one discussions – Effective when a decision or direction can be made by just a couple of people and then others can be informed through e-mail or web sites
We need to interact, we need to exchange information, and we need to work together to get things done. Avoid falling into meeting trap and consciously ask yourself if there are other ways to communicate and get your point across.
Replacing a Project Manager Mid-Flight
One of my column readers recently sent in this question: One of our senior project managers left abruptly in the middle of a 3 year million $ contract. What experience and education would you consider in promoting a replacement? Ooh, good meaty problem. Not so simple a solution.
There's simply never a good time for a project manager to leave a project, particularly when the flight takes everyone by surprise. Management scrambles to find a replacement, the project team may be in a state of shock because their leader is now flying the coop, and the potential successor needs to double-time-it to figure out how to take the reins quickly. The key here is to minimize the impact of flight such that the project is not significantly impacted. There are two facets that I think are important to minimizing the impact: preparedness in case of flight and deliberate action if a flight occurs. Following are a series of considerations for each.
Amazon.com WidgetsFirst facet, preparedness in case of flight:
Have a project succession plan in place for key project team members. This includes not only the project manager but key analysts, developers, and other hard-to-replace team members.Assess whether the project manager is already a flight risk because of prior circumstances. For whatever reason, the project manager may be at flash point and ready to leave or already looking to leave.Document if there are there specific skills required of the position. Some project management positions can be filled by a good generic project manager, while others may require a specific functional, technical, or industry skills.
Next facet is actions if a flight occurs:Execute the succession plan if the planned successor is ready to assume control. Sometimes the successor will be able to easily slip into the shoes of the prior project manager. At other times the successor may have to share workload with his or her manager or other project team members to lighten the load and better minimize project impact.
Don't expect much out of the fleeing project manager. He or she may be physically be around for another week or two but mentally the transition to the new job has already begun.
Stay close to the situation. Don't just assume that because there is a new name in the project manager box on the org chart that all is going to go well. Keep close watch over the new project manager and be ready to assist if you see problems starting to crop up.
Keep the team calm. When a leader flees the situation is ripe for confusion, dissention, and infighting which can lead to budget and schedule problems. Keep the team focused and motivated through the transition. Most importantly, keep them informed on what is going on.
Position the next successor. This is good for two reasons: it helps mitigate the risk of another PM flight and is a natural learning opportunity to build up new project managers.
June 20, 2015
Impress First, Then Talk Compensation
Excerpted from The Truth about Getting Your Point Across…and Nothing But the Truth
As a manager I’ve been amused by the different approaches some interviewees have taken over the years. There are a couple of interviews that stand out as Academy Award contenders for Best Arrogant Performance.
Performance number one features an inexperienced, newly degreed interviewee who I’ll call “Pug.” Pug showed up for the interview on time, was well dressed, and looked well-prepared for the interview.
I opened the interview with a simple greeting, offered Pug something to drink, and let him know what was going to happen in the interview. Before I could get my first question out, Pug informed me of his salary expectations and told me that there were other companies willing to meet his expectations. I can tell you his expectations were about two times what we typically paid newly degreed candidates and I knew we would never be able to pay Pug what he was looking for. I decided to acknowledge that Pug had a salary expectation and quite frankly went through the motions on the rest of the interview. I had already made my “decline” decision within the first few minutes of the interview.
Performance number two features a heavily experienced and qualified candidate I’ll call “Kip.” Kip had an extensive resume with experience that would be valuable to me and showed a lot of promise. I wasn’t completely sold on Kip so was looking forward to our interview. Throughout the interview, his tone was one of “you have to sell me on why I should come and work for you” and let me know that it would take “a lot of money” to lure him away from his current job. I was very disappointed because someone I initially felt had promise turned into an arrogant mercenary looking to put his services to the highest bidder. Kip ended up staying at his current employer and not coming to work with me.
Amazon.com WidgetsBoth performances had a common thread running through them. They both introduced compensation into the discussion before I had a chance to decide if I wanted them as employees. Now don’t get me wrong; compensation is a big component of why we work; the mortgage needs to be paid, the kids need braces, and the government wants their cut. You need to ensure you are compensated fairly for the work you do. However, there is an appropriate time to discuss compensation, and that is after the employer has already decided they want you and you’ve decided you want to be an employee. Before we get too deep in this, I’m going to make an assumption that you’ve done some basic homework on the job and that you’re not expecting to make $100k per year for a job that will pay $30k. If there’s that large of a gap, then either re-align your expectations or don’t go forward with the interviewing process.
Assuming there is a match in compensation expectations, your priorities in the interviewing process need to start with nailing the qualifications. Most successful advertising campaigns don’t show you the price of the product first then explain the value they provide. They get you to see how the product will meet some need that you have then they tell you how much it will cost you (and what a good deal it is for you!) Your interviewing strategy is no different; you want to show how you meet a need and how you can solve a prospective employer’s problem before discussing compensation. Once an employer understands your qualification and envisions your value to the company they are better able to focus on compensation.
Want some ideas on how to nail the qualifications first? Check these out:
Show them you want the job – Follow the preparation advice outlined in You Can't Over-Prepare for an Interview . Ask good questions which demonstrate your interest in the job. Be interested and let the interviewer see it. Don’t worry that you’re losing negotiating leverage because you’re showing interest. You want him or her to get excited about the prospects of you doing the job.
Don’t play hard to get – Showing disinterest or indifference about the job to get the prospective employer to woo you away from your current job is just bad form. More often than not, the prospective employer will walk away rather than play your game. Come off like a prima donna and it may backfire on you and you’ll miss out on a job you really wanted.
Find a problem and offer to help solve it – If during your interview you draw out a real-life problem the prospective employer is experiencing, offer to do a bit of research and do a write-up on some things that could be done to solve the problem, you will make a great impression. If your offer is accepted, burn the midnight oil if necessary to get your thoughts down and send it to them within 24 hours of your interview. The couple of times interviewees have done that with me I was impressed not only by the content they provided but also by their initiative and responsiveness. Both the interviewees ultimately ended up as employees.
Talk as if you already have the job – I like when interviewees use “we” language during an interview. I didn’t view it as presumptuous; I viewed it as the interviewee wanting to be part of a team and dig in and get things done. Don’t be afraid to talk as if you were a company person; your interviewer is trying to assess your fit within the company so show him or her.Establish yourself as a viable and qualified candidate prior to negotiating compensation. Your best opportunity to ensure a fair compensation package is to first get the interviewer to truly want you through showcasing your skills, showing initiative, and demonstrating your desire to be an employee. Get him or her to love you first then talk compensation.
As a manager I’ve been amused by the different approaches some interviewees have taken over the years. There are a couple of interviews that stand out as Academy Award contenders for Best Arrogant Performance.Performance number one features an inexperienced, newly degreed interviewee who I’ll call “Pug.” Pug showed up for the interview on time, was well dressed, and looked well-prepared for the interview.
I opened the interview with a simple greeting, offered Pug something to drink, and let him know what was going to happen in the interview. Before I could get my first question out, Pug informed me of his salary expectations and told me that there were other companies willing to meet his expectations. I can tell you his expectations were about two times what we typically paid newly degreed candidates and I knew we would never be able to pay Pug what he was looking for. I decided to acknowledge that Pug had a salary expectation and quite frankly went through the motions on the rest of the interview. I had already made my “decline” decision within the first few minutes of the interview.
Performance number two features a heavily experienced and qualified candidate I’ll call “Kip.” Kip had an extensive resume with experience that would be valuable to me and showed a lot of promise. I wasn’t completely sold on Kip so was looking forward to our interview. Throughout the interview, his tone was one of “you have to sell me on why I should come and work for you” and let me know that it would take “a lot of money” to lure him away from his current job. I was very disappointed because someone I initially felt had promise turned into an arrogant mercenary looking to put his services to the highest bidder. Kip ended up staying at his current employer and not coming to work with me.
Amazon.com WidgetsBoth performances had a common thread running through them. They both introduced compensation into the discussion before I had a chance to decide if I wanted them as employees. Now don’t get me wrong; compensation is a big component of why we work; the mortgage needs to be paid, the kids need braces, and the government wants their cut. You need to ensure you are compensated fairly for the work you do. However, there is an appropriate time to discuss compensation, and that is after the employer has already decided they want you and you’ve decided you want to be an employee. Before we get too deep in this, I’m going to make an assumption that you’ve done some basic homework on the job and that you’re not expecting to make $100k per year for a job that will pay $30k. If there’s that large of a gap, then either re-align your expectations or don’t go forward with the interviewing process.
Assuming there is a match in compensation expectations, your priorities in the interviewing process need to start with nailing the qualifications. Most successful advertising campaigns don’t show you the price of the product first then explain the value they provide. They get you to see how the product will meet some need that you have then they tell you how much it will cost you (and what a good deal it is for you!) Your interviewing strategy is no different; you want to show how you meet a need and how you can solve a prospective employer’s problem before discussing compensation. Once an employer understands your qualification and envisions your value to the company they are better able to focus on compensation.
Want some ideas on how to nail the qualifications first? Check these out:
Show them you want the job – Follow the preparation advice outlined in You Can't Over-Prepare for an Interview . Ask good questions which demonstrate your interest in the job. Be interested and let the interviewer see it. Don’t worry that you’re losing negotiating leverage because you’re showing interest. You want him or her to get excited about the prospects of you doing the job.
Don’t play hard to get – Showing disinterest or indifference about the job to get the prospective employer to woo you away from your current job is just bad form. More often than not, the prospective employer will walk away rather than play your game. Come off like a prima donna and it may backfire on you and you’ll miss out on a job you really wanted.
Find a problem and offer to help solve it – If during your interview you draw out a real-life problem the prospective employer is experiencing, offer to do a bit of research and do a write-up on some things that could be done to solve the problem, you will make a great impression. If your offer is accepted, burn the midnight oil if necessary to get your thoughts down and send it to them within 24 hours of your interview. The couple of times interviewees have done that with me I was impressed not only by the content they provided but also by their initiative and responsiveness. Both the interviewees ultimately ended up as employees.
Talk as if you already have the job – I like when interviewees use “we” language during an interview. I didn’t view it as presumptuous; I viewed it as the interviewee wanting to be part of a team and dig in and get things done. Don’t be afraid to talk as if you were a company person; your interviewer is trying to assess your fit within the company so show him or her.Establish yourself as a viable and qualified candidate prior to negotiating compensation. Your best opportunity to ensure a fair compensation package is to first get the interviewer to truly want you through showcasing your skills, showing initiative, and demonstrating your desire to be an employee. Get him or her to love you first then talk compensation.
